


Awake My Soul (ON HOLD)

by chestervlle



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Related, F/M, basically just how I would've wanted things to happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-20
Updated: 2014-02-03
Packaged: 2018-01-05 03:04:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1088857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chestervlle/pseuds/chestervlle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the first night Derek Hale discovered his seventeen year old sister Cora was back in town after being missing for six years, he's had one rule for his beta Isaac: stay away from her. He'll find that Isaac doesn't listen as well as originally believed, especially when the interest is mutual. </p><p>Isaac Lahey/Cora Hale fanfiction starting during the events of Season 3, Episode 4: Unleashed of Teen Wolf. Yes, this is going to be a Corsaac centered fic, but it will include many other Teen Wolf characters and many interactions from Cora and Isaac with them as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. After The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> This is my original story using many of the characters of the television show, Teen Wolf, along with possibly some direct quotes and plot developments. I do not intend any disrespect towards the show or the writers, I have only written this for enjoyment.
> 
> All chapter names are songs by Mumford & Sons.

”I don't get it.” Isaac said, and took a pause. “Look, did something happen?” He asked his alpha. Why Derek would be kicking him out so suddenly, he had no idea.

”It's just not going to work with both of you here. I've got Cora now, it's too much.” Derek replied, and from around the corner Cora winced. She was out of sight of the two male wolves. Incredibly pissed that Derek was using her as an excuse to kick Isaac out, when she knew the real reason. “I need you out tonight.” Isaac didn't understand. He would happily give up his bedroom in the apartment for Cora, but he still needed to stay.

”Where am I supposed to go?” Cora heard Isaac ask, so innocently. He was quite covered in bruises, after the events at school today. He had decided to go after the twin alphas without asking Scott for help. Cora knew the whole story, and it made tonight hurt worse. Tears welled in her eyes.

”Somewhere else!” Derek shot back, shaking with some sort of fury, anger, no. Hurt, just plain hurt. Something told Cora that Derek didn't want to be doing this. But her better judgment told her that what he really wanted was for someone else to do it for him.

Cora heard loud thunder crack. Fitting, it seems. As her brother was a thunderstorm of his own lately.

”Did I do something wrong, Derek?” Isaac spoke between booms of more loud thunder. Ever since Derek had bitten him he'd been by his side, and on his side. He believed Derek was always there for him as well, so it didn't make sense why the alpha would suddenly behave this way. Was the fight at school really such a big deal? In the moment Isaac had thought Derek would be proud of him. He only wanted Derek to be proud of him.

”You're doing something wrong right now by not leaving!” Derek shouted out.

”Oh, come on.” Isaac pleaded.

”Just get out!”

”Derek, please.” Isaac begged now, tears filling his own eyes.

”Get out!”

”Come on –“

”Go!” Derek threw something, Cora couldn’t see. But she heard the sound of glass shattering. It took everything in her not to run to Isaac’s defense.

Isaac reacted quickly, using the moves he'd learned from many years of living with his abusive father. In fact, the very last night he was with his father, he had done the same thing. It's what had made him run away. Seems he was about to do just the same.

Cora caught a glimpse of Isaac leaving obediently, through the front door. In moments he would be out in the pouring rain with nowhere to go. She braced herself and came out from her hiding place.

Derek met her eyes. Even his looked a bit dewy. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.” He mumbled.

“How could you, Derek? How could you do that to him? Isaac has been nothing but loyal to you!” Suddenly Cora was shouting, making her way across the apartment towards where Isaac had left moments ago. She had to speak to him.

“Where are you going?” He brother asked. She ignored him as she opened the door. “Cora!”

Cora broke into a run. She took the steps; they would be faster than the elevator. She thought Isaac must have been moving considerably slowly, because she caught up with him right outside the building. Actually he had taken the steps two at a time, not bothering to look back. But in the rain he stood, unsure of where he's feet were going to take him next. He was drenched, as Cora would be in a matter of seconds. She looked back to see if Derek was following, but he wasn’t. Some brother. He probably stood up there, feeling sorry for himself in some twisted way as if he was the victim here.

“Isaac!” Cora had to shout for him to hear her over the thunder and lightning. He had sensed her, though. Isaac turned around. Despite the rain, Cora was fully aware that there were tears running down his flushed cheeks.

“I’m sorry!" Cora shouted, out of breath, as she moved closer to him. Isaac was confused by this girl, this shimmering girl moving towards him through the downpour. He was aware of her tears as well, which confused him even more. Why did she care? “That wasn’t right of him.” Cora spoke a bit quieter now, her face only inches from Isaac’s. “I’m sorry.” She said again.

Isaac swallowed the lump in his throat. “It’s not your fault.”

Cora shook her now completely soaked head. “If I wouldn’t have come back, you wouldn’t be in this position.”

Isaac smiled through his tears. “It’s okay. I’ll be alright. I’d rather you have the room than me. Besides, everything has gotten better since you came.” Isaac finished, and immediately ran away. He wasn't even quite sure where this comment came from, he sort of just blurted it out. His foolish words would only get him into more trouble with Derek. It had been made clear to him that very first night, Cora was off limits.

Cora was left wondering how he could say that, that things have gotten better for him. It certainly didn’t seem like it could be true. Then again, she didn’t know what went on in that peculiar beta’s head.

But she intended to find out.

..........

The next time they saw each other was the fight with the alphas. Isaac had tried to find a reason to stop by the apartment, but every time he did he found himself intimidated by Derek and he would turn back.

The pack, along with Scott and Isaac, whom no one was really sure who's pack he was a part of anymore. Maybe he was an Omega now. Ever since the night Derek kicked him out, he'd been distant, as it was expected. Cora thought maybe he was with Scott now, in some sort of makeshift pack, though neither of them were alphas. Maybe that was part of the reason Cora wasn't Scott's biggest fan.

Either way, it was decided to not bring Isaac along to the meeting with Deucalion's pack. Derek knew Scott would go, so he dragged along Boyd and Cora. Derek didn't seem at all surprised when Scott brought Isaac with him. Cora was pleased when she saw him. They could use all the backup they could get.

It was all a blur. Scott was a fool to think things could be solved by talking. Derek went after Kali. Boyd fought Ennis. Isaac took on the twins, morphed together. Cora began to run to his aid, when Boyd was taken to the ground by Ennis. She had a decision to make. Luckily, Scott made it for her. He helped Isaac, Cora helped Boyd. Got herself a broken arm. She hated feeling like she was the weak one, but she knew it was true ever since she returned. One scratch and she's out? She was pissed. But also hurt. Along with every other Beta in the room.

Cora's head was pounding. She breifely heard the discussion happening as she lay on the ground, Kali's foot pressed against her throat. Derek was to choose who would die - her or Boyd. For a split second, she was certain he would choose Boyd. Yeah, she was his sister. But she was also a pain in the ass. And Boyd had been a part of his pack longer. She waited for Kali's claws to sink into her throat. Isaac and Scott struggled in the twins' arms. They never gave up. Just before she drew her last breath, her eyes met Isaac's.

Something happened, a flash, an explosion. Allison Argent happened. It was poetic really, the werewolf hunter shows up to save the werewolves. And she did. All but Derek. Derek was dead.

"Cora." Boyd gasped her name as he crawled towards her. Cora used what strength she had left to roll to her side. She knew Kali was still near her, but she was most likely just as subdued as Cora from Allison's special arrows. Cora felt strong arms wrap around her. They weren't Boyd's, he was still feet away from her. Probably one of the Alphas coming to finish her off.

She was turned over, to stare right into the face of none other than Isaac Lahey. He smiled at her, a completely ridiculous thing to do in a moment like this. But she recognized the tears rolling down his cheeks. She'd seen them before. She struggled in his arms as he pulled her to her feet. "Hey, hey. Cora." Isaac spoke smoothly. Cora swallowed hard, she couldn't speak. She'd just seen her brother fall two stories. "Cora, we have to go. Come on." He attempted to sling her arm across his shoulders and prop her up. From the combined effects of the beating she just received and seeing her brother's death, Cora wasn't cooperating. Isaac lifted her in his arms bridal style, and turned to see Scott helping Boyd to his feet. They didn't have time to retrieve Derek's body. They needed to get out before the Alphas would come to their senses.

Isaac yelled her name continuously for her attention as Cora passed out in his arms.


	2. Winter Winds

Cora awoke a few hours later and found herself staring into the face of her uncle, Peter. She was in her room, so someone must have taken her there. Her throat was dry and she struggled to speak. "Isaac?" She choked out as her eyes searched the room for him.

Peter cocked his head. "Not the first name I thought you would speak."

Cora ignored his remark and struggled to an upright position. "Where are Isaac and Boyd?" She spoke more firmly now.

"On a bus. Headed to a track meet." Peter replied snarkily, as if it was completely obvious.

Cora shot the rest of the way up. "In the middle of the night?!" She exclaimed.

"It's 9am, Cora." Peter shot back, and Cora raised her eyebrows. "Don't believe me, check the clock."

Cora did. Sure enough, it read 9:07. Cora's jaw dropped as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Woah, woah." Peter grabbed her arm and she shook from his grasp, giving him a dirty look. She didn't trust him, uncle or not. She never did, growing up. The fact that he killed her older sister only strengthened her dislike. Cora's bare feet touched the cold ground. The apartment was freezing. Leave it to Peter to make her freeze to death while he's in charge of watching her. Suddenly she was pissed at her pack for going to some stupid track meet and abandoning her. She was practically alone.

Nonetheless, she pulled on her sweatshirt and zipped it up as she stormed across her room. Well, technically speaking, the sweatshirt belonged to Isaac. He had left a few things behind when he came to clean out his room. Cora had been meaning to give it back to him, but it wasn't exactly on the top of her list at the moment.

Peter followed her from her bedroom and into the main room. "Slow down."

Cora turned on her heel and stepped inches from his face. "Enough! Stop treating me like a child! Derek is dead! I saw it happen! You weren't there. You're never there." She shook her head repeatedly, in attempt to keep tears from welling in her eyes. "Isaac and Boyd aren't here.... and they're stuck on a bus with two of the wolves that killed my brother! Your nephew! And you don't even care!"

Peter took Cora's yelling in his face and listened to her. But now he spoke up. "I don't think Derek is dead."

"What? What makes you think that?"

"I went to the mall. There weren't any bodies there."

Cora rolled her eyes. "So, the alphas took them." 

"I'm not so sure."

..........

"Look, maybe Derek really is dead. But Isaac and Boyd aren't. I can still help them." Cora said to her uncle as he chased her down the apartment building stairs. He'd just dragged her along to some animal clinic, apparently where Scott works. They now knew that Ennis has barely survived the fight, but he didn't make it. That meant Derek could be off somewhere, struggling to survive. But Cora had no idea where to start with finding him. But she knew exactly where Boyd and Isaac were, she'd been texting Boyd all day. Cora reached the bottom of the stairs and unlocked Peter's car with his keys. "Come or don't come. I couldn't care less." She slung her overnight bag filled with her clothes and some of Boyd's into the backseat. Then she climbed into the front one.

"This is my car, you know." Peter objected.

"I don't care! At least I'm using it for something productive." Cora started the car and took off the emergency break. She pulled forward, threatening to roll over Peter's toes.

"Woah!!" He backed up, but put his hand on the window opening. He took a deep breath. "Go get the boys. They're gonna be stuck in a big storm if you don't bring them back. I'll work on finding Derek."

Cora nodded. Finally, Peter was being reasonable. She continued to text Boyd to find out where they were. It was late afternoon when Cora left Beacon hills, Boyd had been keeping her updated. Scott wasn't allowing himself to heal because he thought Derek's death was his fault. Stiles had gotten the bus to stop so that they could try to do something about Scott's predicament. Boyd called Cora frantically, practically shouting at her through the phone that Isaac had finally snapped, and attacked Ethan to get back at him for Derek's death. Boyd asked her to talk him down.

She heard his heavy breathing when Boyd handed Isaac the phone. "Isaac?" She asked softly. When she heard the news from Boyd she pulled to the side of the road for concentration. "Isaac, are you there?" She waited a few moments for him to respond.

With a shaky breath he answered her. "I'm here."

Cora took a breath of her own. "Tell me what happened."

"Don't worry about it." Isaac shot back. "It's not a big deal." His voice was still shaking. His fists hurt, after attacking Ethan so brutally with them. The other times the other wolf had fought back, but he didn't this time. All part of his plan to look like the victim. Isaac was suddenly embarrassed that he'd lost his cool, and didn't want Cora to know anything about it.

Cora sighed. She started her car and pulled back onto the road. "Look, I'll be there soon and -"

"What do you mean you'll be here?" Isaac interrupted as he started pacing along the sidewalk next to the bus.

"Boyd didn't tell you? I'm on my way to pick you two up."

Isaac's breath caught in his throat. He gave Boyd a good, long glare. "Well stop. Turn back around."

"Hell no, I'm almost there! I'm not turning around now. I have to get you out before the storm."

"You've been through a lot the last twelve hours, you should be resting." Isaac replied quite awkwardly. They hadn't talked about anything that happened last night, and it was obvious to both of them that there were words that needed to be said. About Derek, about Isaac saving Cora's life, and perhaps about the strange feelings they were having towards one another.

Cora figured now wasn't the time to talk about Derek, or Peter's thoughts that he might still be alive. She could deal with that on the ride home. Later was the best time to deal with anything. "Well so should you, but you're not either so shut up and deal with it." Cora shouted into the phone.

Isaac rolled his eyes but smiled slightly. Cora wasn't aware that she was actually doing a perfect job of getting Isaac's mind off of things. "You're so difficult." Isaac replied with a glimmer of teasing. Cora didn't know how to respond to that. They stayed on the phone but didn't say anything, just listened to eachother's breathing. Isaac finally cleared his throat. "The bus is about to leave. I think we're going to stay at a hotel."

"You can't do that." Cora replied frantically.

Isaac shrugged even though she couldn't see him. He turned his attention towards the bus, where sure enough they were loading up again. Coach Finstock yelled a command, and Isaac cringed at the sound of his shrill voice. "Don't really have a choice."

Cora blinked hard in annoyance. "Fine. Let me know where you're staying and I can come get you. Something feels wrong about this." She took a pause. "Scott and Stiles can come too."

Isaac began walking back towards the bus with Boyd at his side. "They wouldn't. They'd stay with Allison and Lydia."

"Why are Allison and Lydia there?"

"They were following the bus. Allison's the one who patched Scott up. They're getting on the bus now for some reason though. Allison's car is still in the parking lot." Isaac observed out loud as the two girls took seats next to Scott and Stiles.

Cora rolled her eyes. _Stupid teenagers._ "They ran out of gas." Boyd told Isaac from behind him, as he was following him onto the bus.

"They ran out of gas." Isaac repeated into the phone into Cora's ear.

Cora made a sound of disgust. She couldn't be worrying about all of them. Isaac and Boyd, that was her mission. "Whatever. We'll figure out what to do when I get there."

"I still say you turn back." Isaac pleaded.

"Good thing I don't take commands from you." Cora shot back before hanging up on him.

Isaac smiled to himself and handed the phone back to Boyd, who was sitting next to him on the bus. "Pack mom, Cora Hale. Who woulda thought." Isaac laughed, and so did Boyd. Derek was probably dead, Isaac thought. But they still had a Hale looking out for them, perhaps more than her brother ever was. Maybe they'd make it after all.


	3. Dust Bowl

"I can't help that I'm stuck in traffic!" Cora yelled through the phone as she blared her horn.

"Well it's basically too late for you to pick us up now. We just checked in." Isaac replied patiently.

"Dammit." She mumbled under her breath. "What hotel?"

Isaac chuckled as he peered around the room him and Boyd had just walked into. "Motel." He corrected. He looked at the stains spotting the floor and walls. One was red like blood. He pointed at it and gave a look to Boyd, who shuttered. "A very crappy motel. The Glen Capri."

Cora programmed it into the GPS in her phone. She put the cell back up to her ear. "It says I'm only thirty minutes out."

"Room number 203." Isaac told her.

Cora hung up without saying anything else. She was tempted to pull off of the road and drive down the sidewalk. She had a terrible feeling.

Her fears doubled when she finally made it to the Glen Capri. Definitely a very crappy motel. Sketchy was the word that came to mind. To make matters worse, Isaac was no longer answering her text messages, and neither was Boyd.

She parked Peter's car and climbed out. Taking a deep breath, she walked across the gravel and up to the second floor where Isaac and Boyd's room would be. When she reached the door, it was hanging wide open. Her claws instinctively surfaced. She walked in cautiously. That's when Stiles ran in through the door, crashing into her. He was holding road flares and sweating profusely.

They asked eachother's names at the same time. Stiles seemed to remember something and shoved his way past her towards to bathroom. Cora followed. Inside the bathroom was Lydia, frantically trying to lift a safe out of the bathtub. "What the hell is going on?" Cora asked as she stepped closer. Boyd was underneath the safe. Cora's breath caught in her throat. She didn't know how to react. Stiles pushed Lydia back towards Cora, and sent the now lit flare into the bathtub, pushing it firmly against Boyd's skin. Boyd immediately threw the safe from the water and pulled himself up as he began to wolf out.

Cora watched the whole thing with her mouth open. It made absolutely no sense. Alarm creeped into her mind. "Where is Isaac?" She asked the two of them frantically.

Lydia turned towards her, tears running down her cheeks. She pointed out the bathroom door. "Under the bed." Lydia croaked out.

Cora immediately ran in the direction of Lydia's finger, Stiles following close on her heels. They both fell to the floor, and Cora lifted the bed skirt up. Sure enough, Isaac was there. He flinched at the sight of them and burrowed further towards the wall, like an animal exposed to light for the first time after hibernation.

Once again, Cora didn't know how to react, when Stiles held her back with his arm and stuck the other lit flare towards Isaac. Cora squeezed her eyes shut but heard Isaac's loud scream.

Together her and Stiles pulled Isaac out by the arms, who looked as confused as her. He seemed to be partially snapped out of it now though. He grabbed both Cora's arms desperately after Stiles released his grip. Cora grabbed his face for his attention and he stared down into her eyes. "Isaac." She breathed his name. "It's okay, I'm here. It's okay."

Isaac listened intently to the sound of her voice. Cora was aware of Lydia and Boyd emerging from the bathroom. "Would someone explain what the hell is going on?" Cora asked quieter than she wanted to, only for the sake of not startling Isaac who wasn't taking his eyes off of her.

"Something about this motel is affecting the werewolves." Stiles replied breathily. "What are you doing here?" He asked her.

"I came for Boyd and Isaac." When she said his name Isaac's grip on her arm tightened. He was only holding onto one now, but he still stared at her intensely.

"You shouldn't be here." Lydia cut in, seeming distracted and distant.

Cora rolled her eyes. She pulled her arm from Isaac's grip and crossed it over her other one. She ignored Lydia completely. "What's with the flares?"

"Hey." Stiles stepped in, literally, between the two girls. "Lydia's right." He tried to ignore the hard look Cora was sending his way. "Look, Ethan tried to cut himself open, Boyd here tried to drown himself, as you saw, and Isaac isn't exactly handing himself well either. The best thing to do would be to get anyone with a set of claws the hell out of here."

Lydia stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Wait. What about Scott?"

Stiles eyes opened wide. "I.... I don't know. I haven't seen him since you sent me that text message." He replied to her. "Allison went to find him, remember?"

Right on cue, Allison ran into the room. She was out of breath. "I can't find Scott."

..........

"What about Scott?" Isaac asked, now fully aware of his surroundings and back to normal. Him and Boyd stared at her intently. The other three had gone to find the last werewolf.

Cora paced quickly around the room, grabbing the boys' things and shoving them back into their bags. "They can handle it. We need to go."

Isaac and Boyd shook their heads at the same time. "I'm not leaving without him and the others."

"Me neither." Boyd echoed.

"Unbelievable." Cora said under her breath. She turned to them. "You know what? Screw you guys." She flung both of their track bags at them and turned on her heel out the door. Boyd caught his but Isaac's smacked him straight in the face. When he tried to catch up with Cora he stumbled over his bag and fell to the floor. Nonetheless, he pulled himself up and caught up with her. He grabbed her shoulder and she stared up at him angrily. "Cora." He whined.

She slid his hand down her arm and tried to ignore the sparks she felt from his fingertips. "I drive all the way here to save you dumbasses and now you won't even come with me?"

Isaac leaned in closer, desperately trying to convince her. "We appreciate it, we really do. But we need to see if Scott's alright. And the others. You know we can't leave without them. Not after everything."

Cora knew he was right. She clenched her jaw and stared into Isaac's eyes. "Lets go find them." Just after she finished talking they heard an explosion coming from outside.

The three of them ran towards the sound with Isaac in the lead. He stopped abruptly and the other two crashed into him, Cora squished in between Isaac and Boyd. Isaac was too tall and she couldn't see around him. "What the fu - "

Isaac didn't finish. But he saw something in the blazing fire. He saw the monster, with a slashed up face. To the left he saw all four of them; Scott, Stiles, Allison, and Lydia, all in a pile with Lydia on top. He ran to check on them.

Boyd helped Lydia to her feet as Cora and Allison held Stiles up. Isaac offered a hand to Scott and pulled him up. He was drenched in gasoline. Isaac decided not to even ask. "I still don't have a clue what's happening, but we need to go." Cora spoke first. "Now."

"Agreed." Lydia answered.

"How do we explain to coach where we went? And we have to many people to fit in the car." Boyd cut in.

Stiles stepped forward. "I hate to break it to you but I don't think anyone is going to be fitting into the car." He nodded towards where Cora had parked Peter's SUV.

They each followed his gaze. Gasps went around the circle and Cora cursed under her breath. "Fantastic." The entire back half of the car was gone. "Peter is going to kill me."

Isaac spoke next. "That's the least of our worries."

Scott stepped into the center of the circle and shushed everyone. He was still dripping with gasoline but he seemed to be relatively back to normal now. "We don't have to leave. Something tells me, whatever this was, it's over."

..........

Well, Scott was pretty trustworthy. Plus they didn't have much of a choice now that Peter's car was destroyed. But none of them really felt like going back into that cursed motel, so all seven of them climbed onto the bus to get some sleep before morning. Boyd made sure to be the closest to the door in case anything or anyone tried to come in.

Cora lied down on her back in one of the rows and stared out the window at the moon. Suddenly Isaac's face took over the view. He gave her a slight smile and stepped back into the bench in front of her. He rested his arms and chin on the top and stared down at her. "Thanks." He whispered, not wanting to wake the others who were already asleep. Stiles was already full-blown snoring.

Cora only gave a slight smile in response. Then she closed her eyes. Somehow, even with her eyes closed, she still saw the same thing. Isaac Lahey's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote most of this in the car at like 10 at night so tell me if there's any mistakes. x


	4. Whispers In The Dark

"I really, really don't want to know." Coach said when he noticed the seven of them on the bus the next morning. His gaze lingered on Cora because he'd never seen her before. He didn't seem too worried over it though. "But in case you missed the announcement, the meet's cancelled, so we're heading home!" All that for the meet to just be cancelled. Figured. "Pack it in. Pack it in!" Coach yelled at the other students who were now filing onto the bus. Isaac noticed Ethan take a seat next to Scott and start a conversation, so he kept an eye on the alpha.

Cora stayed in her seat, assuming Isaac and Boyd would share a row, leaving her to sit with some random highschool reject. Instead Isaac slid in next to her and gave her a cheeky smile. Boyd didn't seem to mind. He just went right back to sleep. "This seat taken?" Isaac asked sarcastically.

Cora wasn't really in the mood for teasing, but Isaac looked so much like a puppy dog that she couldn't just ignore him. "Yeah, some tall kid probably thought he'd try to make a move on me."

Isaac was surprised by Cora's forward statement, but more surprised that she caught on to his attraction to her. Maybe that meant she felt the same way. That's it, he decided, screw it. He'd just go for it and lean in to kiss her, bus full of watchful eyes or not. But then they heard something that made them both freeze.

Ethan and Scott were only two rows in front of them, with Stiles in between, so it was impossible as werewolves not to pick up on the conversation. They'd both been vaguely listening until a certain statement made their ears perk up. "We're pretty sure Derek is still alive." Ethan said.

Cora blanked out over that. She played the statement over and over in her head. If Ethan, one of Derek's enemies, was admitting that her brother was still alive, it was most likely true. Isaac stared at Cora, trying to read her. He didn't know how he felt about the news. Of course, he would never wish for Derek to be dead, but Derek hadn't exactly been number one on his list of favorite people lately ever since he'd kicked him out and forbade him from pursuing Cora. At least with her protective older brother out of the way he may have had a chance. Now that was gone. But he still owed a lot to Derek, he was the reason he was a wolf at all. And he had given him a place to stay when his father was first killed. It had only been recently that things had gone south between them. He knew it was partially the older brother in him, intent on keeping this wide eyed beta away from his little sister. He didn't know what the other reason was.

Ethan moved seats and Stiles took his place next to Scott. Cora wad staring out the window, trying to deal with how she felt about the news about her brother when Isaac nudged her. He nodded towards Lydia who was now holding Coach Finstock's whistle, along with a substance coating her hand. "Wolfsbane." She said.

It all made sense. "So every time the coach blew the whistle on the bus, Scott, Isaac,Boyd, and Ethan." Allison began.

"We all inhaled it." Scott finished for her.

"You were all poisoned by it." Stiles added.

"That explains why Cora wasn't affected when she showed up." Isaac finished.

In a split second Stiles snatched the whistle from Lydia's hands, rolled the window down and threw it out.

"Stilinski!" Coach yelled, but it was too late. The bus had already stared moving.

..........

Isaac gave Cora space the rest of the ride because he knew she wasn't in the mood to talk. Well, figurative space. They were still squished onto that small bus bench for hours, and Isaac smiled to himself when Cora fell asleep on his shoulder.

Boyd was the only one with any battery left on his cellphone, so he was the one to deal with Peter. He left out the part about Peter's car. He could leave that to Cora. But they talked about the possibility of Derek still being alive. And Boyd learned that he was, for sure. Peter said he'd found him in the apartment, asleep. He seemed virtually unharmed.

Isaac wanted to give Cora the news. But he couldn't bring himself to wake her up. She was much easier to get along with when she was lying asleep on his shoulder. So he didn't wake her until the bus pulled into the school. "Cora." He nudged her, and ran his hand over her hair. Cora fluttered her eyes open and blushed. She hadn't meant to fall asleep on Isaac. But he was warm, and smelled surprisingly good for a teenage boy who spent two straight days on a school bus.

"Are we back?" She asked.

Isaac nodded as Cora scooted away from him. Kids began filing off of the bus loudly, but Isaac payed them no attention. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He cleared his throat. "We heard from Peter. Derek's alive."

Cora's eyes grew wide. "Are you sure?"

Isaac nodded encouragingly. "Come on." He said, pulling from the seat. "Stiles is gonna drive us home." He stepped back to allow Cora to walk in front of him.

Stiles drove all three of the wolves to the apartment with Boyd riding shotgun. Cora stared out of the window the entire time. Isaac expected her to run straight from the car when they arrived, and well, she expected it too. But she forced herself to slow down. She thanked Stiles, and walked the steps with the two boys behind her.

She stared at the door when she reached it. She took a deep breath, and Isaac squeezed her shoulder. She reached for the doorknob but the door opened before she had the chance to turn it. There her brother stood, looking the same as always. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he buried his face in her hair. She could feel her cheeks becoming wet. She didn't want to pull away and have everyone see her tears. But Derek pushed her back, and gave a quick hug to Boyd. He stared at Isaac, and the beta swallowed hard. Isaac felt as if Derek sensed his fear, and also sensed how much he was growing to care for Cora.

Derek shook his hand. The whole thing was awkward. Luckily Peter came around the corner. But what came out of his mouth made everything more awkward. "Now that we're all alive again, Cora, I need my keys."

Cora scratched her head. Her face was pretty much dry now. "About that....."

Peter's expression grew hard. "What's that supposed to mean, Cora?" He said her name accusingly.

Boyd was trying to conceal a laugh. Cora looked to Isaac for help. He didn't offer any. She clenched her fists. "Well.... you're.... you might.... kind of need a new one."

Peter's claws surfaced and he lunged. That car was practically brand new. Derek tried to hold Peter back. Cora didn't want to fight him, and was just going to take whatever came. She felt her uncle had a very logical reason to be upset. Isaac wasn't going to let that happen. He grabbed Cora's hand and pulled her out the door. They ran as fast as two people with joined hands could.

Derek and Boyd had been holding Peter back, but when Derek saw Isaac and Cora's joined hands he started to chase Isaac. He yelled something intelligent like "He'd dead!" and Cora started to crack up at the expression on Isaac's face.

Isaac and Cora continued to run hand in hand until they reached a good place to hide. They ran all the way to the highschool and into the library. It was always open even on weekends for detention or study groups. Isaac figured it would be smart to go somewhere with witnesses. Unfortunately no one was there. They didn't have time to go anywhere else, so Cora flicked off the lights and let Isaac lead her back into the corner behind one of the bookshelves where they slid down to sit on the floor.

They both knew Derek and Peter couldn't be far because they would be able to track their scents, so hiding was pretty much pointless. They sat there together, hands still joined, heavily breathing. Cora heard something. She shushed Isaac and scooted closer against him.

Her staticy hair was sticking to Isaac's chin and face and one of his arms was wrapped around her. She pushed her finger to his lips to quiet him. Isaac swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath. Derek would murder him on the spot of he found them in this position.

Cora's head was against Isaac's chest, and she felt his breathing slow down. How did she get into this situation? Minutes ago she was preparing to fight her uncle and now she was in the arms of a teenage boy with light pink lips and a very firm chest. (she didn't even mean to notice) The last couple years she hadn't thought once about any boy other than how she could survive against him. She'd never expected to be interested in anyone, actually. Just her luck that she would be fascinated by the one boy who she wasn't allowed to have. Boyd had told her all about how Isaac was forbidden from pursuing her by Derek.

Cora craned her neck so she was looking up at Isaac, who had been staring at her the entire time. She wondered if he would actually do what she was thinking. He already knew he would.

Before he could stop himself Isaac pressed his lips to Cora's, tangling his right hand's fingers in her hair while his left was firmly wrapped around her waist. Cora's own fingers went to the material on Isaac's jacket. If it weren't for his strong hand around her waist Cora would fall to the ground on her back. She was trusting him, though part of her was playing a scenario in her head where this was all a trick and he was making her vulnerable enough to be able to kill her right here and now. She never was good at trust. She hardly knew Isaac, and she knew better than to let him kiss her. But she couldn't help but trust him, and his lips were so warm and his arms felt so safe that she forgot about all of that and just let him kiss her.

Isaac was thinking about absolutely nothing but Cora as he kissed her wholeheartedly. He wasn't thinking about what Derek would do to him, he wasn't thinking about how when they first met Cora had been intent on killing him during the full moon. He wasn't even thinking about the Darach. Cora was the only thing on his mind. Which if he was being honest, had happened quite a bit since he'd first seen her.

Isaac was so preoccupied that he wouldn't have even heard the noise if Cora didn't pull away. "Hear that?" She whispered, the lips that he'd been kissing a moment ago now only centimeters away. All he wanted was to have them back on his. But he heard the noise too.

They both could just barely hear it, which was the exact cause for alarm. No matter how angry they were Derek and Peter knew the only way to find the betas was by being stealthy. The two of them tried to slow their heavy breathing as they sat in the dark corner. Isaac's arm was still firmly pressed around Cora's body. She removed it and started to stand. Isaac followed suit, but Cora pushed him back down. "You stay here. We have to split up or Derek will kill you." She whispered with her hand still on his shoulder.

"If we split up Peter will kill you." Isaac whispered back, his lips still tingling from the kiss.

Cora smiled slightly. "I'll be fine."

Her hand slipped from Isaac's shirt and she ran off without another word.


	5. Not With Haste

Isaac continued sitting there, still dumbfounded by the kiss. He was the one who initiated it but he'd felt Cora take control of him. And he'd listened to her when she told him to stay, though all he wanted was to go with her.

He knew he needed to move before Derek found him, but he couldn't bring himself to stand. His legs were too weak. His entire body felt unsteady. He was suddenly aware of his hands shaking, and his inability to catch a breath. Everything in him was shouting at him to move, get out of there, find Cora, and repeat what had just happened between them. He didn't care if he came off as desperate. He wanted to be with her again. Yet he still stayed motionless.

The sound of footsteps began to become louder, though he only heard one pair of feet now. The library doors swung open and someone ran in. Isaac prepared himself for a beating. He hoped Derek would go easy on him, though he highly doubted it.

Instead Peter was staring down at him. He began laughing up a storm, and he was slightly out of breath with his hands on his thighs. "You take the cake my friend." He said between fits of laughter. "Do you even know what he'll do to you? Obviously not, since you're just sitting here like a fool. Do you not even care?" Isaac said nothing, just stared up at him. "Not that _I_ care, but I suggest you stay away from Cora. You can't have her. You can't hold her hand." Peter paused, taking in the sight of Isaac, specifically his swollen lips. "And you most definitely can't kiss her again."

Isaac shot to his feet. He was astonished that Peter could tell such a thing. "Is that a threat?" He asked, pretending to be braver than he felt.

Peter shrugged. "Could be. I'm just warning you, Derek wouldn't find this near as funny as I do." Peter chuckled again.

"Is everything a joke to you?" Isaac asked loudly, his voice echoing through the dark library. "You tried to tear your niece's head off back there and now you're having a grand old time thinking about me being in pain."

Peter rolled his eyes and shrugged again. "I may have lost my head a bit back there. I wouldn't really bring Cora any harm. You on the other hand..."

"Me what?"

"Derek won't be happy to hear about what you did to his baby sister in a certain dark corner."

"I didn't do anything!" Isaac broke, finally letting lose. He couldn't stand Peter's need to pry at his business constantly. "You have no proof. Cora wasn't even here with me. She went off on her own."

Peter stepped closer, a sly smile lacing his lips. "You're a terrible liar. That'll be your downfall." Then he left without another word.

Isaac resisted the urge to follow him and give him a piece of his mind, and his fist.

Instead he took off in the other direction, following Cora's scent, which was now a mix of her own fresh perfume laced with the scent of his cologne.

Yeah. No way Derek wasn't going to find out.

..........

Cora hadn't stopped running since she left Isaac alone in the library. She wasn't sure who she was running from anymore, Peter, Isaac, Derek, or herself.

She couldn't believe he'd kissed her, and that she'd let him kiss her. The nerve of that kid! But she found his nerve so.... incredibly... attractive. No. She wasn't allowed to think about it. And she certainly wasn't allowed to think about how amazing that kiss was, soft but rough, everything she'd been imagining it would be.

No! Cora forced herself to stop. To stop running, stop thinking, stop everything.

Derek would flip if he knew what went on back there. She couldn't let that happen to Isaac. No, she... she couldn't let something like that tear apart the pack. They were close to losing Isaac to Scott as it was, if they hadn't already. She couldn't let that happen. For the benefit of the entire pack, of course. They'd be weaker with one less member, and they had a ridiculous amount of enemies.

She knew Derek would be suspicious no matter what, Isaac had grabbed her hand in plain sight and dragged her with him. Derek knew what teenagers were like and he wouldn't just look past that. Odds are Derek hadn't ever seen Isaac behave that way, so he would know something was up. So Cora just had to convince him otherwise. To do that, she needed to convince herself otherwise. Convince herself that it all meant nothing. Convince Isaac that the kiss meant nothing to her. It was better for everyone.

_It was going to take a lot of work to convince herself of that._

..........

Keeping a secret with someone like Isaac as your confidant proved to be incredibly difficult. Cora learned that he was a terrible liar, only heightening the flame of Derek's suspicion while Cora desperately tried to smother it.

Isaac never caught up to Cora that night, because she'd gone back to the apartment. He'd figured as much. She'd acted desperate to get away from him. Maybe he was wrong, maybe their attraction wasn't mutual. Maybe only he was lusting after her, and he possibly ruined any chance they could've had at a deeper friendship. Still, he didn't regret it. He couldn't believe kissing someone could feel so nice. But it had. And Isaac knew it would be a long while before he'd think about much else than the feeling of Cora's lips on his.

He'd tried to get her alone plenty of times the next couple days. He had to know for sure if she felt something too, or if it was only an attraction thought up by his own mind. If he didn't know better, he'd think Cora was purposelly trying to avoid him. Which only made him push that much harder, preferably when Derek wasn't in the room. But Isaac couldn't be picky.

Which is why he was incredibly surprised when Cora showed up at his school and dragged him into a closet with her. She closed the door and turned to him with a fiery look in her eyes. "Took you long enough." Isaac started, letting his hormones get the best of him as he stepped near her preparing to reenact the events of the other day.

Cora shoved her palm against his chest, claws and all. "Not what I'm here for." She forced out, though everything in her body told her to forget her mandate and kiss him. Derek had sent her to put an end to Lydia's relations with Aiden, which she'd already accomplished. Her next job was to bring Isaac and Boyd back to the apartment with her. "But that's exactly what we need to talk about." She added after a beat of silence.

Isaac shrugged it off, pretending that he was joking about wanting to makeout with her. "Yeah, okay...."

"You need to stop." Cora cut him off.

Not being able to help himself, Isaac looked over her suggestively. "Stop what?"

"That!" Cora shouted, stopping when she remembered they were supposed to be hiding. "Look, Derek is becoming suspicious. And you are about as subtle as a gun. So I'd appreciate if you stopped with the flirtatious comments every five seconds and actually focused on something important." 

Isaac raised his eyebrows, then looked to the floor. Cora waited for a response. "You _are_ important." Isaac said softly, avoiding Cora's eyes. Isaac cleared his throat as his heart rate began to rise. "What do you mean about Derek becoming suspicious? You didn't tell him anything did you?"

"Of course not. But like I said, you aren't exactly being secretive about it." Cora paused. "Besides, there's nothing to tell. It didn't mean anything." Cora looked Isaac right in the eyes as she spoke, using her brutal nature to push him down. She knew it was the only way to convince him to give it up. No matter how much it hurt to see his sad puppy eyes..

But Isaac didn't give her sad puppy eyes. He gave her a hard look, and took a step closer, throwing her off guard. "See, but I don't believe you." Cora laughed nervously, trying to turn it into an annoyed grunt. "Maybe we're both doomed to be terrible liars." Isaac added, taking another step, forcing Cora to back against the wall. "Because it sounds more like you're trying to convince yourself, not me. And you wouldn't have come here if - "

Cora regained her braveness and cut him off, shoving her back off the wall. It backfired when their faces ended only inches away from one another. She spoke anyways. "Don't flatter yourself, I came here to stop Lydia from seeing Aiden." 

Isaac didn't back down either. He realized she must have been the one to set off the fire alarm. _And she preached to him about being subtle_. "And yet, here you are, on this little detour, alone, in a closet with me." Isaac said slowly.

Cora swallowed the lump in her throat. "Whatever. Boyd has a plan and I came to bring you back to the apartment, but we needed to have this lovely little chat first to make sure we're on the same page. Now, detour over, let's go." She began to step towards the door when Isaac's arm stopped her, creating a wall between her and the outside hall.

"I beg to differ." Isaac said, his voice quiet and deep.

"What are you doing?" Cora asked, subconsciously grabbing a bunch of Isaac's cardigan in her hand.

"What are _you_ doing?" Isaac repeated in her tone. Cora said nothing, but released her grip on his clothing. Isaac took a deep breath. "Cora, I don't believe that the kiss meant nothing to you, and I don't believe that you don't want to kiss me again right now." He gave her a cheeky smile.

"Well believe it. It was a heat of the moment thing." Isaac's smile faded turning to a deep stare. He could hear her heartbeat rising, and he didn't believe her one bit. "And don't forget you're the one who kissed me. So maybe it meant something to you. But don't think that that automatically means it meant something to me too." Cora replied defensively. Isaac stepped closer, wrapping his long fingers around Cora's forearm and leaning in closer. "Because...." Cora's words starting to blur together as she struggled to maintain a defensive stance. "obviously... it.... didn't." 

With only centimeters between their faces now, Isaac waited. He wanted to kiss her, obviously. But he wanted _her_ to kiss _him_ more. He wanted her to be the one to enact the kiss, to take control of him, and prove to both of them that they really had something.

Cora took the last step towards him, unaware of anything but her need to press her lips against his. They had only touched slightly when Cora's phone rang the sound telling her she had a text message. Isaac cursed under his breath. Cora pulled out her phone without stepping away from Isaac, and she could feel his heavy breathing on the top of her head as his hand slid from her arm. "It's Boyd." She said. "He's waiting for us. She shoved past Isaac this time and grabbed the door handle. "We'll explain the plan in the car." Cora didn't look back at him as she went through the door, or even as they went through the the entire school. Cora could feel the students staring at her, no doubt wondering who she was and why Isaac was following her around like a soldier. She could also feel how hot her cheeks were.

They met Boyd outside of the school by the car he was borrowing from his parents. Cora reached for the passenger side door handle the same moment Isaac did, causing her hand to be incased under his. They both pulled back and Isaac's cheeks flushed. Cora assumed he was going to fight her for shotgun, but instead he smiled softly and opened the door for her, which was his motive all along. Cora silently thanked him and smiled at the gesture.

Cora was amazed at how Isaac could go from being suggestive and sensual one moment to sweet and caring the next. She reminded herself to remember not to give into this. For the good of the pack.


	6. Sigh No More

The three betas strolled into Derek's apartment, where he was pretending to do something productive. They all knew he was probably sitting around thinking about his new girlfriend. Cora was actually astonished that he'd found himself someone, and the boys were irritated that she was one of their teachers.

Derek looked annoyed when he saw the three of them. He looked at Cora. "What are they doing here?" He asked. Then he turned to the two of them. "Go back to school." He looked back at Cora. "Actually, why don't you enroll in school too?" Derek suggested, and Cora glared at him. 

Isaac stepped in. "We can't." He told Derek. "All three of us are incredibly and unbelievably sick."

"With what, brain damage?" Derek asked. Cora rolled her eyes. Boyd giggled silently.

Isaac stepped closer to Cora, staring her down. She watched Derek out of the corner of her eye, waiting for the uncomfortable moment Isaac was creating to be over. "Well, I have a migraine, Cora has female problems," Isaac began, walking away from Cora and now towards Derek, "and Boyd here has explosive diarrhea." Isaac sat on Derek's table and began mindlessly flipping through the pages of a book. "And, Cora pulled the fire alarm, so they evacuated the school."

Cora clenched her jaw trying to keep it from dropping. Boyd just shook his head and stepped forward as well. "We're here to protect you." He said, completely brushing over Isaac's jokes. Isaac cocked his head and looked at Cora, trying to read her. He was trying to lighten the environment but had managed to do exactly the opposite.

Derek stared them all down. Then a smirk covered his face. "You're here to protect me? Well, I'm in trouble then."

"Scott told us Kali is coming for you." Cora said. "But Boyd has a plan."

"Yeah, I thought about the time Gerard had me and Erica locked up." Boyd's voice strained when he said Erica's name, but he continued. "Tied up with electrical wires pushing current through us. I was wondering if we could do something like that... But on a bigger scale."

Derek stayed silent for a moment. He looked around the circle, deciding whether or not they were serious. His eyes finally landed on Boyd. "It could work." The three betas waited for him to say more. "They won't come until dark." Derek began to walk across the apartment towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Cora asked.

"I'll be back in one hour. Have everything set up." Derek replied without looking back, forcefully closing the door behind him.

..........

Slightly less than an hour later Isaac and Cora had finished following all of Boyd's instructions, and the only thing left to do was fill the floor with water. They decided to wait for that until Derek came back, ignoring what he said. None of them felt like listening to him when he gave no explanation for leaving in the first place.

Boyd was in the bathroom when Isaac approached Cora. She noticed him and cleared her throat. "Where do you think he could have gone?" She asked, trying to keep the conversation off of the topic she was avoiding.

Isaac didn't seem fazed. He fiddled with the wires Cora had finished setting up. "Probably off with his lady friend." Isaac joked, though he figured it was probably true.

Cora let a smile slip. Isaac tried to read her, leaning his hands on the table behind them, brushing his arm against hers in the process. The hair on Cora's arms stood on end, and she crossed her arms but resisted the urge to walk away. If she couldn't stand up to Isaac than she had no chance of convincing him to keep his distance. "Do you remember what we talked about?" She asked coldly, staring straight forward, while all the while, he stared at her.

Isaac gave her a smirk. "Vaguely."

"Well remember." Cora grumbled. Isaac's smirk turned into a smile. Cora backed away, arms still crossed, furrowing her brow. "What?" She said abruptly.

Isaac shrugged. "You just make me smile." He gave her his widest, cheesiest, toothiest smile.

Isaac's reply caught Cora off guard. "Well...... stop." She stuttered out, lifting her chin. Isaac's smile changed form, his lips becoming fuller with his teeth no longer visible. "Stop that!" Cora shouted.

"What's going on?" Boyd asked as he walked over to them. Isaac looked between the two, giving Cora a cheeky look.

Cora cleared her throat as she subconsciously clenched her fists. "Nothing." She was upset that Boyd had seen, and upset at herself for not hearing him re-enter the room. How was she supposed to keep Derek from becoming suspicious if her wolf senses didn't even work around Isaac?

Boyd looked between the two, and didn't believe them. But he let it slide. He'd talk to Isaac about it later. "Okay." He said with a head nod.

Just then they heard keys fiddling with the lock on the front door, and moments later Derek walked in, along with Peter.

"That's what you went out for?" Isaac asked tiredly, sending a glare Peter's way.   
Peter rolled his eyes at the curly haired beta. They'd never gotten along too well, but things between them had become even more strained since the other night when Peter found out about Isaac and Cora. Isaac had been putting off informing Cora of it, mostly because Peter hadn't spent much time around them anyways. But now it seemed he needed to share with her soon, though it would be difficult considering she so obviously didn't want to acknowledge what had happened.

"Don't worry." Derek answered, dropping his keys and plastic bags full of something onto the table in front of the three teenagers. "I brought snacks too."

Cora pulled out a bag of beef jerky. "Snacks?" She furrowed her brow at Derek. "What is this, a sleepover? Are you even taking this seriously?" Cora slammed the bag back onto the tabletop.

"Just thought you might be hungry." Derek replied coolly.

Cora widened her mouth to say something but Isaac grabbed her arm forcefully under the table where it was concealed from Derek's vision. "How bout we finish with setup?" He said through clenched teeth, following Cora as she tore away and stomped off.

Derek watched them mindfully with suspicious eyes, trying to catch their conversation. His superb hearing would have for sure provided him with the conversation if Boyd hadn't interrupted and asked him to get the hose. With one last glance towards his sister and Isaac (who were in a heated argument) he grumpily walked off to fetch the hose.

"Just give him some grace, Cora." Isaac pleaded, latching onto her once more and turning her to face him.

From being spin around, strands Cora's hair were across her face until she blew it out of the way. "Stop doing that." Thinking she meant touching her, Isaac obediently released his grip. "No," Cora continued, "stop saying my name so much."

Isaac's eyebrows rose. "What?"

"You always say it. Every time you talk to me." Cora paused, feeling out of breath from her anger. She didn't know what she was saying. She didn't know why she was so upset with Derek. She didn't know anything anymore. "It's annoying me." The truth was, she loved it. She hated herself for loving it. Isaac made her feel special by saying her name so often and coolly, letting it roll easily off his tongue without a second thought. She knew it meant he was only focusing on her. But she couldn't let him do it anymore if she was to keep herself away from him.

Isaac concealed a grin. He didn't want Cora to think he was mocking her. He thought she was cute for noticing. He didn't even notice himself that he said it so often. "I'm sorry. I'll stop."

Cora said nothing to him. She had nothing else to say. "But Cora," Isaac started, only to be halted by Cora's glare, "sorry. But hey." He grabbed her arm, softly this time, and her eyes instantly gazed over his fingertips. _He_ _was_ _making_ _avoiding_ _her_ _conflicting_ _feelings_ _for_ _him_ _completely_ _impossible_ _._ "What's going on?"

Cora shook her arm from Isaac's grasp and crossed her fingers over her arm where his used to be. "He doesn't even care. He doesn't understand how serious this is. Kali is coming for him tonight. Not alone, she'll bring the other alphas. We're the only backup he's got. But I'm not going to waste my time protecting someone who doesn't want to be protected." She leaned her hands on the window pane and stared out.

"He's not just someone, Cor-" Isaac shook his head, stopping himself just in time. "He's not just someone. He's you're brother. And he's only acting that way because he's scared out of his mind. Trust me, I can relate."

Cora took a deep breath. Her hands were beginning to feel cold from the window pane. "He's just so frustrating."

Isaac cocked his head and shrugged. "Must be a Hale thing."

Cora caught Isaac's eyes. He was actually referring to Peter, but thinking about it, Cora was just as frustrating. He didn't understand why she was so intent on keeping her feelings directed away from him. But he wouldn't let her succeed, he was sure of it. He placed his right hand over her left, which was freezing cold. Cora flinched a bit but didn't back away as her instincts told her to. Their faces were only inches apart now, and it would only be moments before Derek was back in the room and would take notice. Peter was smiling slyly from the corner, but Isaac didn't care, and Cora was too wrapped up to notice.

Isaac continued to lessen the distance between them, until he was close enough to feel Cora's breath on his face. "See, what you need is patience. It's a virtue, you know." He said softly, sliding his fingertips along the tops of Cora's hand as he backed away and left her alone.

As she tried to catch her breath, Cora acknowledged that she would need an abundant supply of patience to tolerate Isaac Lahey.


End file.
